Photos: Orthodox Jews practice Kaparot

24 Sep 2012

Ultra-Orthodox jews across Jerusalem practice Kaparot. The Jewish ritual is supposed to transfer the sins of the past year to a chicken, and is performed before the Day of Atonement, or Yom Kippur, the most important day in the Jewish calendar. Yom Kippur will start this year on September 25 at sunset.

An ultra-Orthodox Jew twirls a live chicken over the head of his baby daughter as he recites a 'Kaparot' prayer in the Mea Shearim neighborhood, Jerusalem, Israel, 23 September 2012. Photo: Abir Sultan/EPA